Scholarly work that is enabled, supported or disseminated to a wider audience via the tools and platforms of the digital humanities is an increasingly important part of grant applications, knowledge exchange efforts, and the successful completion of research projects.  But incorporating the digital humanities into new work can be a challenge: successful DH research involves thoughtful planning and the strategic use of existing tools and databases – as well as the development of new digital platforms.  For PhD students and early-career scholars, the digital humanities also represents a field of enormous opportunity: postdoctoral job opportunities for DH-trained scholars far exceed the number of qualified applicants, making the skills of the digital humanities an important part of professional development.

The British Library has long been at the forefront of emerging methods in digitisation and online dissemination, and has supported numerous digital humanities projects undertaken by scholars from across the globe. Visiting scholars Dr. Luisa Mengoni, Head of Asian and African Collections at the British Library, and Ms. Alexandra Ault, Lead Curator of Western Manuscripts 1601-1950 at the British Library will lead this exciting workshop session on the digital humanities for HKU students and researchers.  The session will introduce current opportunities in digital humanities research at HKU, outline the impact of digital humanities on literature, and discuss what digital humanities means for scholarly research in general.  The session will also introduce and model diverse projects across the British Library Asian sections, including Hebrew, Indian Print, and the Dunhuang Project. Participants will be invited to consider questions relating to digital research, and will have the opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges in the field.

Light refreshments will be served.  The workshop is open to HKU students and faculty.  All are welcome to attend, but places may fill quickly: to register for the event, please email Anya Adair (adair@hku.hk).